How 'Fire Country' Crashed and Burned in the Season 1 Finale

Those brave enough to wade into Fire Country following the smoldering wreckage of the Season 1 finale, "I Know It Feels Impossible," will be happy to learn CBS renewed the series for Season 4. Although the renewal was announced in February, the procedural isn't expected to return until the fall 2025 TV season. But don't fret, the hiatus affords plenty of room to assess a significant turning point in the show that alienated fans and lost viewers.

"I Know It Feels Impossible" is the lowest-rated episode of the entire series to date, and it isn't close. The Season 1 finale missed the mark in multiple ways, upsetting fans so much in the final act that many swore off the show for good and never returned to see what's become of Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot). With the dust cleared and the mourning period over, it's time to perform an autopsy on Fire Country's horrendous Season 1 ender and examine the fallout.

Co-created by and starring Max Thieriot, Fire Country is an action-based TV procedural about Bode Donovan (Thieriot). Bode is a troubled young man who redeems his criminal past by joining a volunteer firefighting unit in California to expedite his prison sentence. As Bode works towards salvation, he begins working with the firefighters and first responders in the California Conservation Camp Program, an outfit partnered with Cal Fire.

Once in the program, Bode is unhappy that he's been assigned to return to his hometown in Edgewater, Northern California. Worried he'll fall into his past troubles, Bode's forced to work with old friends and not-so-friendly people from his past who encourage bad habits and tempt him to behave like a criminal. The more experience he gains, the more comfortable and skilled Bode becomes at putting out massive blazes across the state with his new crewmates.

Whether putting out marijuana farm fires, rescuing a runaway horse from a burning barn, putting out gas leaks, saving a hiker from a cliff fall, extinguishing a fiery plane crash, or working with the civilian firefighter Station 42, Bode's entire Season 1 arc is meant for him to mend fences with his friends and family and find a healing path of redemption. Until the Season 1 finale undermined Bode's progress, viewers had rooted for him to find success.

How 'Fire Country's Season 1 Finale Crashed and Burned

Fire Country's Season 1 finale combined three primary storylines. The first involved a massive mudslide in Edgewater that required emergency assistance from the Cal Fire team. The second story tracked Diego and Gabriela's wedding. And the third concerned Bode's parole hearing, which had the most significant consequences for his redemption.

Indeed, throughout the first season, Bode's characteristics prove that he is a good person deep down. His moral center allows him to understand the difference between right and wrong, and even when he bends the law or breaks the rules, viewers know he's acting in good faith. Yet, all the goodwill Bode built up in the first 21 episodes of Season 1 was instantly dashed by the ridiculous writing that frustratingly betrayed his character.

As Station 42 and the Three Rock unit join forces to stop the mudslide, Bode attends his parole hearing with his head held high. Given his course correction throughout the season and the honorable strides made to atone for his past sins, viewers expected, if not wanted, to see Bode's parole hearing go well. On the contrary, Bode is submitted to a drug test, and it comes back positive.

Worse yet, Bode claims he has been secretly using and selling drugs the whole time, despite zero evidence leading up to this point. Though the failed test is a little complicated, the development comes out of left field and results in Bode being sent back to prison, erasing all the work he'd done in the 21 previous episodes. While some have defended the subplot of Bode's confession of helping to acquit his friend Freddie from legal charges, most fans became so angered by the finale that they wrote off the show for good.

Bashed for lazy writing, poor storytelling, unconvincing plotting, and odious character development, several Reddit threads claimed they stopped watching Fire Country after the Season 1 finale. The episode has a paltry 5.0 IMDb rating, far and away the lowest-rated episode of the entire season. The 1-star IMDb review comments range from "Worst TV Episode of All Time?" and "What a Waste of Time" to "Very Disappointing Finale" and "Can I Give a Zero??"

Far from a hollow threat, the viewership numbers indicate that audiences fled the series following the Season 1 finale. According to Programming Insider, the Season 1 finale drew 5.32 million viewers. Beyond the premiere, no episode in Season 2 reached 5.32 million viewers, indicating a steep viewership decline that has only worsened since. In Season 3, not a single episode drew five million viewers, ending with 3.97 million who tuned into the final two episodes.

The Fallout Continues in 'Fire Country' Season 4

Past the fictional fires created for the show, Fire Country faces a real crisis ahead of Season 4. With viewership declining since the silly Season 1 finale, the creators must take drastic measures to retain audience interest. However, that will be doubly challenging with the recent announcement that two beloved characters will not return for Season 4.

Following the Season 3 finale, it was confirmed that Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila) and Vince Leone (Billy Burke) would not return for Fire Country Season 4. While casting shakeups are inevitable for network ensembles, fans have decried the announcement. Between their departures and the ill will resonating from the ludicrous Season 1 finale, Fire Country has plenty of work to do to restore fan faith.

Speaking of such challenges, Fire Country producers told Deadline:

"That’s a reality, there’s danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes. That’s how it works with character-driven dramas. You want the opportunity for that door to open, for someone to walk out of it, or for someone to walk into it. We’re really leaning into that aspect of the show as well as honoring the authenticity."

Authenticity is what the Season 1 finale glaringly lacked. For fans' sake, perhaps Fire Country will redirect course and hike viewership by writing more convincing and credible storylines that attract new fans rather than alienate the dedicated. Fire Country is available to stream on Netflix, CBS TVE, and Paramount+.